Conrad Once Again

It has been announced that the upcoming Jungle Cruise movie will officially be titled, Jungle Cruise: Heart of Darkness, making its title a combination of references to literature by two separate authors — Joseph Conrad and Upton Sinclair.

Conrad fans know that his work has long been a source of inspiration for Disney. For example:

Treasure Planet’s Jim Hawkins was named for the title character in Lord Jim.

Non-Disney sources also often refer to Conrad — the space ship in Alien was named Nostromo after Conrad’s sci-fi novel of the same name, for example, and his The Secret Agent served as the template for James Bond.

But despite the fine pedigree of the Jungle Cruise film’s main inspiration, some Disney fans are apparently worried about another feature based on a Disneyland attraction when two of the company’s three previous efforts (Haunted Mansion: Northanger Abbey, and Tiki Room: A Room of One’s Own) were dismal failures, with only Pirates of the Caribbean: Treasure Island turning a serious profit. When asked his opinion of the Jungle Cruise: Heart of Darkness concept, long-time Disney commentator James Hillock pretended to die and said, “The horror! The horror!” Not a good sign.

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